Ron Sherman, Atlanta Skyline, 1990
Arts Atlanta launched a new series, “My Atlanta,” which turns the spotlight on photographers who use their images and supporting text to illustrate how living in Atlanta has inspired their careers and lives. Here, they spotlight the work and words of Ron Sherman.
I fell in love with Atlanta for many reasons. The beauty and vitality of the city was apparent even before I moved here in 1971. Once I did, its growth gave me unlimited possibilities to document the region. With new buildings, expanded parks, various festivals, attractions and celebrations, there was never a lack of self-assigned subjects to shoot or, importantly, paid assignments.
When my wife and I began thinking about a move, we considered many locations across the country, settling on Atlanta, which seemed to hold many possibilities as a city on the move — growing, hustling, reinventing itself.
Doors opened as my career grew here. I worked for national magazines, including Time, Life, Newsweek and Business Week. In a very different time in American life, I was able to get close access to Jimmy Carter during his presidential campaign, Hank Aaron as he watched his history-making 715th home run fly over Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium’s outfield fence and Coretta Scott King surrounded by civil- and human-rights leaders at Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances.